All posts by unschoolersplatform

We are ever-so-excited about this newest addition to the 2018 UP line up! If you joined us in past year, you may have met Laura and family at our last few UP conferences! This year we are thrilled about what she will be offering up for our eager ears to hear! Time to register so you don’t miss out on a fabulous time!unschoolersplatform.com/register#unschoolersplatform

Laura Lauzen-Collins lives in Bolingbrook Illinois with her husband and five children, aged 19, 14, 11, 9 and 6. When her first child was born during graduate school for psychology, she knew that she wanted him to learn in a self-directed manner but she was unaware of the unschooling movement at that time. As her son got older and Laura began teaching more developmentally-based psychology courses as well as delving more into educational theory, she had a growing belief that the traditional approach to education was not consistent with how she understood learning to occur and that it tended to squash natural curiosity and motivation. After a few years of struggling through the traditional school system with her son, she discovered the well-established unschooling movement. This approach provided and continues to provide a solution for the problems that she saw as endemic to the more traditional approach to education and also provided a personal solution for her family.

Laura continues to teach psychology classes at Moraine Valley Community College and DePaul University while striving to provide support for her children’s natural sense of curiosity and wonder. She teaches classes on a wide variety of psychological topics with a focus on the brain and development.

In the last 10-20 years, we have learned an enormous amount about the way the brain develops in infancy, through childhood and into adulthood. The child’s brain is not just less mature than the adult’s brain. Instead the brain of a child is qualitatively different than that of an adult. And beyond the child’s brain, the teen’s brain brings a new set of profound changes. Understanding these differences can be a powerful tool that helps us to better understand how our children and teens experience the world.

Details are a hashin’ and we are incredible excited to announce ALL we have in store! To begin…. We are over the moon elated to be welcoming back Tara and Joe! A very precious family in this ever-growing tribe will be back again for a round-table discussion! Sure not to be missed!

Register your family at www.unschoolersplatform.com/registration!!!

#unschoolersplatform

Joe, Tara, Liam and Atticus Dutcher are thrilled to be returning for a third time to the Unschoolers Platform conference. At the 2017 conference, Tara and Joe presented a talk entitled Attunement; Unschooling and Autism which kicked off a wonderful discussion among community members about the unique joys and challenges of meeting every child’s individual interests and needs.

At the 2018 conference, the Dutchers hope to facilitate a round table-style conversation that touches upon the physical, emotional and communication elements that emerge when families composed of individuals with a variety of different needs are invested in living in attunement with each other.

The Dutchers live in eastern Iowa where Tara works as a freelance musician (www.taramcgovern.com) and Joe works as a corporate trainer.

The Platform is sending you the warmest, healthiest and most prosperous wishes for the upcoming 2017! Wishing you all a very happy new year! With only 13 days left to register for the early rate, we hope you make the choice to join us all in February! There is OH so much great to celebrate this years!

Oh BOY! If you have not, you won’t want to miss her! This extra-special woman is coming on back to UP, and this time around she is sharing some of her super duper experiences and wisdom! We are THRILLED she’s making the trek here to share and inspire and hope you will join her in her exciting discussion group!

Unschooling To & Through the College Years Q & A

Do you have a teenager and wonder how they will successfully transition to college or adulthood? Do you have younger children and are wondering what this stage might look like? Join Jocelyn as she shares her experiences and answers your questions about the journeys of teenagers and young adults.

Jocelyn discovered homeschooling in 1993 when she saw a TV news segment about a family of 5 who bicycled together across the US and met all 50 governors. She was instantly hooked by the thought of having fun with her kids as they learned. After reading a preschool curriculum while she watched her then toddler daughter learn so much more and have more fun naturally, she ditched the curriculum and began her journey to unschooling. Jocelyn and her husband, Martin, have 3 always unschooled daughters ages 23, 19, and 13.

We are ever-so-fortunate to have Valentine’s Day land in the middle of our conference dates this year! With so much great to celebrate, you can bet the Amy and Michele will be planning a BIG ‘OL party for Valentine’s! Be the love, know the love, spread the love…. love LOVE lOvE!!!!

The Valentine’s Dance will kick off with a Family Fun dance at 7pm! Dress up if you care! Casual if you prefer! Let’s party hardy and enjoy this evening of love!

Then the teens will have their turn! 9pm onwards family depart the dance floor and surrender it to the teens who will have an awesome night of dancing and fun!

Dance is included in your family registration!

If you will not be able to attend the conference but you would like to come to the Valentine’s Dance (we feel this likely pertains to the local teens)… You’re welcome to purchase a dance ticket and arrive when you’d like! Solo dance tix are $15 per person, paid ahead or at the door.

We have a very special family coming back this year! If you have not met Joe and Tara and the boys, you are missing out on something special! We are not only thrilled they are rejoining us this year, but ecstatic they are willing to share their experiences with us! Getting real about unschooing and autism. A lively discussion is to ensue and you’re not going to want to miss out!

So much great to celebrate!

Attunement; Unschooling with Autism

by Joe and Tara Dutcher

Come join us for a lively hour discussing unschooling with Autism! Learn our brief family history and how we arrived at unschooling. Let’s discuss physical needs (sleep, nutrition, sensory seeking/avoidance, etc) and how those needs are accommodated by unschooling. Social needs (emotional regulation, friendship, family relationships, etc) and how those needs are accommodated by unschooling. And we can wrap it up with Q&A and discussion among participants.

The Dutchers have been homeschooling from the beginning. They arrived at unschooling as a natural evolution of their parenting approach. Tara is a musician and music teacher. Joe trains insurance agents for a large company. Joe and Tara live with their two sons in eastern Iowa.

We are sending a huge congratulations to our Holiday Giveaway winner! We can’t wait to see you at UP this February 2017!!! To all who entered, we will forward you a 10% discount code with in the next few days! Thank you to everyone! Your support is tremendous! We can’t wait to celebrate with you in February! Happy Holidays!!!